Monday, July 9, 2018

Rally Day Pins

These two pins belonged to my paternal aunt.  They are the same, this is just a front and back view.  On the front, Jesus is speaking to two children.  On the back, the name of the company that made the buttons, Abingdon.  I did an Internet search and I quickly found that my aunt probably got these from a vacation bible school she attended in the 1960's.  They must have been special or held some meaning for her, because she kept them for the rest of her life.


Thursday, July 5, 2018

Found: A Watch And A Dog

Every once in a while I find some miscellaneous things in a box.  Like this dog charm and watch.  They belonged to my paternal aunt. The charm reminded me of just how much of a dog lover she was.  Now I ask myself, "What do I do with them?"  I have been gathering an interesting collection of odds and ends from many different ancestors.  This little dog may have had some sentimental value to my aunt.  She may have worn the watch on many occasions.  I will add them to my crazy collection of jewelry, buttons, pins, and religious medals.  When I make it through all of the boxes of stuff I have, my goal is to put everything in some sort of order.  In the mean time, I'll be scrutinizing photos to see if she is wearing either one of these, and I'm looking forward to see what other treasures I'll find in this box.

Monday, July 2, 2018

Fishing Awards

The R.J. Schaefer Fishing Contest began in 1946 and ended in the mid-1970's.   It was run by F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company and was very popular with fishermen along the east coast of the United
States.  Fishing club and individual awards were given.  The fishing clubs competed with each other for the sum total of the weight of all the fish entered by it's members.  Anglers were awarded points for each fish weighed on official scales.  For instance, one point per pound would be awarded for bass that were caught from a boat, and two points per pound would be awarded for bass that were caught from the shore.

I have found two awards that belonged to my paternal grandfather.  They are both most valuable angler awards from 1971.  I know that my grandfather loved to fish and I imagine the contest would have fuled his passion.  I would love to know how he received the two awards.  I believe these were awarded for individual fish that he caught that were over a certain amount of poundage.  Maybe someday I will find the documentation that came with them.


Bills of Repairs September 24,1904

 This cover sheet is found in the Civil War Pension File of my paternal third great-grandfather.  The bills were submitted by a pension atto...